The work to make Narvik smarter and more efficient continues. This is clear after Narvik Municipality, Narvik Port and Smart Innovation Norway signed a new three-year agreement for the Smart Narvik development project.
- "We are very pleased to have the opportunity to continue to contribute to the development here in the north. Now we will tailor our efforts even more and use a larger part of the total competence in Smart Innovation Norway in our work, says Mikael af Ekenstam.
In short, it means more innovation, more resources and more EU projects. So far, one of the results of Smart Narvik 's work has been the success of the municipality's AURORAL tourism project in the EU's Horizon 2020 programme. The win enabled the municipality to create a new position and hire a project manager.
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For the Port of Narvik, Smart Narvik has, among other things, helped speed up the process of establishing shore power.
- Within Smart Narvik, a pre-project was created that led to an investment project. And just two weeks before Christmas, the news came that Enova is supporting the project with NOK 10.7 million. The goal is to have shore power during 2024, says Ekenstam.
He has been employed at Smart Innovation Norway's Narvik office since the first Smart Narvik agreement was signed in 2019.
At that time, the municipality, the Port of Narvik and the power company Nordkraft were partners. Now the municipality and the port are continuing their collaboration with the research and innovation company Smart Innovation Norway.
A greener port
Narvik Port Director Børge Edvardsen Klingan is pleased to have a professional partner in smart cities, sustainability and the green shift on board.
When the agreement with Smart Innovation Norway was to be reassessed after the first three-year period, he was clear that the port needed expertise and networks in these areas for the next three years as well.
- The foundation of the agreement is that we all have to take responsibility for the sustainability goals that have been set and the green shift that is underway. The Port of Narvik relates to many of the polluters and has a role in that regard. We must take that position and acknowledge that we can make a difference," he says.
Narvik is where rail, road and sea meet and is the most important hub in Northern Norway. Putting in place the shore power facility with funding from Enova will be one of the major tasks in the Smart Narvik collaboration. So is the energy hub project to meet the new energy needs of the other carriers to and from the port.
- In the first three-year period, a large number of preliminary projects and studies have been carried out, and important investigations have been made. We have built knowledge and mapped out what we need to work on next,' says Klingan.
Havna is also one of two municipal companies behind the development of a brand new city district. Here, too, circular economy and sustainability are key elements.
- Great opportunities in Narvik
Narvik Municipality is the third partner in Smart Narvik, and Deputy Mayor Lars Norman Andersen has been closely involved in the process of the new agreement.
He is excited about what the collaboration will achieve in the next three-year period.
- Narvik municipality faces great opportunities in the green shift. At the same time, we have an enormous need for restructuring in municipal service production. We want to continue the work of identifying new solutions for the municipality as an organisation and for the local community," he says.
The aim is to improve the efficiency of municipal service production and produce better services for the population.
These are among the elements that are important for creating the residential atmosphere and attractiveness that is important for both new and old residents.
- Through the work in Smart Narvik, we want to continue the work of continuously developing Narvik to be a place where people want to live, work and live. These factors mean that we have chosen to continue our cooperation with Smart Innovation Norway," says Lars Norman Andersen.
Contact us:
Mikael af Ekenstam
E-mail: mikael.af.ekenstam@smartinnovationnorway.com
Phone:+47 906 300 82